A quaint enclave on Perry Street in Manhattan’s West Village houses one of the most unique experiences in retail. It’s not the village that the namesake shopkeeper remembers not fifteen years earlier, before his passion for a dying art led him across Europe, eventually landing in Amsterdam to focus on perfecting his craft. “This area has definitely found a surge of new energy,” Waxman starts, a nod to the bevy of local eateries that line the landscape on the area’s main thoroughfare of Seventh Avenue South and the larger brands that have staked their claim in recent years. But there is something different, a hearkening to a simpler time, to which Noah’s shop is an ode.

It’s in a word ‘cozy’. Not the frenetic pace of usual New York establishments but more of an invitation to explore and indulge.

Some remnants of the neighborhood’s rich history remain inside, aged industrial design elements peeking through in the ceiling and lighting and exposed pipe work–echoes of what used to be.
The modern touch? That’s where the shoes come in; updated silhouettes, mixed media, brushed suede and vibrant patinas coexisting effortlessly. Yet still, and undeniably cozy.

It’snot a gallery. I wanted to invite people into my world.

And hisneighbors have embraced him, some even tracking back for their fifth pair in a bit over six months at 41 Perry. So what makes the boutique theplace to be? Sure there’s a luxury aspect, but it also feels lived in. It captures the Noah Waxman aesthetic. Thespace has character.

“It’snot a gallery. I wanted to invite people into my world. That’s what the shop allows me to do: interact with real people in an intimate, welcoming setting.” It’s a big difference from the shelf space he occupies in some of New York’s iconic high end stores. And it plays even more into his musings as a creator.

“To me, connection with the customers has always been paramount. From design to production, the whole point is to be able to make something that people fall in love with. Thedesign cycle isn’t really complete until you have that human component, the live feedback,” Waxman continues. “Isee what they love, see what they don’t and get to factor that into the next phase of design.”

If that’s any indication of his commitment to customer satisfaction, I figure he’ll be around for a long time.